Stamp-vending machine.



J. R. ARMINGTON.

STAMP VENDING MACHINE.

APPLICATION FILED JAN. 30, 1909' 9433a Patented Dec. 7, 1909.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 1.

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STAMP VENDING MACHINE.

APPLICATION FILED JAN. 30, 1909.

Patented Dec. 7, 1909.

2 SHEETSSHEET 2.

UNTTE %TATE PATENT @FFTQE.

JOHN R. ARMINGTON, 0F ROANOKE, VIRGINIA.

STAMP-VENDING MACHINE.

oaeyree.

Application filed January 30, 1909.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that 1, JOHN R. ARMINGTON, a citizen of the United States,residing at Roanoke, in the county of Roanoke and State of Virginia,have invented new and useful Improvements in Stamp-Vending Machines, ofwhich the following is a speciiication.

This invention relates to stamp vending machines, the object of theinvention being to provide a simple, practical and reliable machinewhich will be operated by the purchaser after depositing a coin or coinsof the proper denomination therein, and to de liver one or more stampscorresponding in value to the coins inserted in the machine.

The machine embodies means for delivering a large number of stamps oneat a time to one or more purchasers and the machine also contemplatesdifferent ,compartments or sections or units adapted for the holding anddelivery of stamps of different values.

With the above and other objects in view, the nature of which will morefully appear as the description proceeds, the invention consists in thenovel construction, combination and arrangement of parts as herein fullydescribed, illustrated and claimed.

In the accompanying drawings :--Figure 1 is a vertical-.fore and aftersection through a stamp vending machine embodying the present invention.Fig. 2 is a horizontal sectional view of the same. Fig. 3 is a verticalcross section of approximately one-half of the machine taken adjacent tothe front end thereof. Fig. 4 is a vertical cross section ofapproximately one-half of the machine taken adjacent to the rear end.Fig. 5 is a top plan view of one corner of the machine showing the coinentrance. Fig. 6 is a detail longitudinal section, showing the lockingdog and gear. Fig. is a detail longitudinal section taken ad acent tothe front of the machine, showing the plunger and plunger head and theparts connected therewith.

The machine contemplated in this invention comprises essentially arevolving stamp holding cylinder 1 which is illustrated in Figs. 1, 3and i, is of polygonal form or provided with a series of flat faces 2preferably ten in number, and each of said faces is provided withoppositely arranged combined guiding and holding strips 3 ofapproximately the width of a strip of postage Specification of LettersPatent.

Patented Dec. 7, 19(P9.

Serial No. 475,172.

stamps. The length of the cylinder and the strips 3 is also suflicientto contain a strip of stamps equal to one-tenth of a sheet 0011- tainingone hundred stamps. T "rerefore, the combined capacity of all of thesides 2 and strips 3 of the cylinder is equal to one complete sheet ofone hundred postage stamps. It may be noted at this point that t 1estamp sheet is divided into ten strips and these plunger l which slidesthrough an opening in the front of the cabinet 5. This cabinet may be ofany suitable size and construction to receive the operative mechanism ofthe vending machine. At its inner end, the plunger 4 carries with it aplunger head 6 provided in its inner vertical wall with a slot and alsoprovided in its upper hori zontal wall with a slot 8 the purpose ofwhich slots will hereinafter appear. The plunger 4 is normally heldoutward in its projecting position by means of oppositely arranged coilsprings 9 which encircle pins or slots 10 connected with the plungerhead as shown in Figs. 1 and 2.

Arranged in rear of the plunger head 6 and in line therewith is a stampcarriage having oppositely arranged lugs 12 formed with openingsadapting said carriage to travel back and forth on the guides or rods 10above referred to, the carriage being normally urged forward toward thefront of the cabinet by means of coil springs 13 embracing said guidesor rods. The carriage 11 is provided with an upstanding lug let on whichis fulcrumed at the point 15 a stamp feeding lever or finger 16, saidlever being provided at its rear end with a contact piece or head 17adapted to bear upward against the foremost stamp on the lower side ofthe cylinder 1 for a purpose which will hereinafter appear. The oppositeor forward arm of the lever is provided with an inclined shoulder 18with which the plunger head 6 cooperates as said head is pushed inward.Said forward arm of the stamp feeding lever or chamber 16 is alsoprovided with a substantially vertical shoulder 19 against which theplunger head 6 acts after it has acted on the shoulder 8, the saidinclined shoulder being employed for the purpose of obtaining thenecessary rocking movement of the stamp feeding lever or finger to movethe contact piece or head 17 out of engagement with the strip of stamps011 the lower side of the cylinder.

Connected to a lug 20 on the rear of the carriage 11 is a connecting bar21 which at its rear end is pivotally attached to a pulley crank lever22 fulcrumed on one of the frame pieces 23 extending upward from thebase 24 on the unit frame, as shown in Fig. 1. Connected to the otherarm of the bell crank lever 22 is a link 25 which extends upward asshown in Fig. 1 and connects as shown in Fig. 4 to a pivoted pawlcarrier 26 which is fulcrumed on the shaft 27 of the cylinder 1. Thepawl carrier 26 carries a pivoted pawl 28 which successively engages theteeth of a ten-toothed ratchet wheel 29 fast on the shaft 27. On thesame shaft 27 there is arranged a detent wheel 30 having ten fiat facesadapted to be successively engaged by a flat spring detent 31 so as toprevent accidental rotative movement of the cylinder and hold the stripsof stamps in the proper relation to the other part of the mechanism ashereinafter described.

On the stamp shaft 27 there is mounted fast a spur pinion 32 whichmeshes with a large spur gear wheel 33 journaled on a bracket arm 34 andprovided with a socket or hole 35 in which is adapted to snap theangular end of a locking dog 35, best illustrated in Fig. 6, said dogserving to lock the entire mechanism against further movement when thestamps are exhausted. In order to prevent the insertion of any coins inthe machine after the stamps are exhausted, a connecting rod 36 extendsfrom the dog 35 to a slot closing gate 37, best illustrated in Fig. 5,the said gate being mounted to swing across and obstruct the coinentrance or slot 38. The closing movement of the gate 37 and themovement of the dog 35 into engagen'ient with the wheel 33 is insured bya spring 39 which bears against the gate 37 as shown in Fig. 5 andcloses said gate as soon as the point of the dog 35 drops into the notchor hole 35 in the locking gear 33.

Extending inward from the plunger head 6 and upward is a lug 40.Connected piv otally to the lug 40 is a link 41 which connects pivotallyat its opposite end to a shearing and delivering arm 42, the said armbeing povitally mounted at 43 within the cabinet. At its free end thearm 42 is provided with a stamp receiver or holder 44 embodying flangesbeneath which a single stamp is adapted to be received and held. It willbe noted that the fulcrum point of the arm 42 is about in alinement withthe lowermost strip of stamps at the bot-tom of the cylinder 1 so thatas said lowermost strip of stamps is fed forward, the foremost stampprojecting beyond the front end of the cylinder will be received by theholder 44 and sheared from the remainder of the strip of stamps when thearm 42 moves upward. The stamps so held by the receiver 44 are carriedforward into a discharge opening 45 in the top wall of the cabinetadapting the same to be removed by the thumb or finger of the operatorby sliding the same out of engagement with the receiver.

46 designates a spring which is interposed between the carriage 11 andthe adjacent end of the stamp feeding finger 16 for the purpose ofholding the contacting piece or head 17 in engagement with the foremoststamp of the lowermost strip contained on the cylinder.

In the bottom portion of the cabinet there i i is arranged a coinreceptacle 47 preferably in the form of a draw and where two units areemployed, as shownin Fig. 2, the draw 47 may be arranged between theunitsand inclined floors 48 may be provided leading into the directionof the receptacle 47 so as to 1direct the falling coins into saidreceptac e.

49 designates a shoulder against which the plunger head 6 is adapted tobring up when it reaches the limit of its rearward movement while 50designates a space down through which the coins drop when released fromthe plunger head 6.

51 designates a coin tube or chute leading from the coin entrance 38downward to the plunger head, the latter being provided with a coinpocket 52 into which the coin is held as the plunger head 6 is movedrearwardly.

The operation of the vending machine may be described as follows. As acoin of the proper denomination is inserted in the entrance of a slot38, it falls by gravity into a pocket into the plunger head. Theoperator then pushes inward on the plunger 4 causing the coin to operateagainst the inclined shoulder 18 of the lever or finger 13. This causesa slight rocking movement of said lever or finger which moves thecontact head 17 out of engagement with the stamps on the cylinder 1. Inthe further movement, the coin acts against the shoulder 19 and movesthe lever or finger 15 together with the carriage 11 rearward, thedistance of one stamp. Thereupon the plunger head comes in contact withthe stop shoulder 49 and the spring 46 acts to force the contact pieceor head 17 upward against the foremost stamp. At the same time, theforward arm of the lever 16 presses downward on the coin in the plungerhead and the coin drops down the runway 50 and finds its way into thereceptacle a7. The lever 16 may then slip forward through the slot 8 inthe plunger head under the expansive action of the springs 13. In thismovement, the strip of stamps on the lower side of the cylinder is fedforward the distance of one stamp, causing the foremost stamp to passoutward from the guiding and holding strips into the receiver 44: whichthen occupies a horizontal position. Upon releasing the plunger -l theplunger head is moved outward by the action ofthe springs 9. At the sametime, the shearing or delivering arm is swung upward on its pivot 43,said arm operating to shear the foremost stamp from the strip andcarrying the same upward to the position indicated in Fig. 1. The stampmay now be removed from the receiver. It will also be observed that ineach inward movement of the plunger t and the carriage 11, theconnecting bar 21 is moved rearward and through the connections abovedescribed, a partial rotation is imparted to the cylinder 1 sufiicientto bring the next row of stamps in position to be engaged by the head ofthe stamp feeding finger or lever 16. This operation continues until allof the stamps have become exhausted from the cylinder whereupon thelocking dog 35 snaps into engagement with the wheel 33, locking themechanism and at the same time the slot closing gate 3? swings acrossand obstructs the entrance slot 38, preventing the insertion ofadditional coins.

In Fig. 2, I have illustrated a cabinet containing two stamp units, forexample, one for one-cent stamps and the other for twocent stamps. Inorder to provide for depositing two pennies instead of one, the plungerhead 6 may be made deeper, as shown in Fig. 7, or in other words, tocontain 2 pennies one upon the other edgewise, the upper penny beingpositioned at the proper elevation to act upon the shoulders 18 and 19of the stamp feeding finger or lever 16.

Various changes in the form proportion and minor details of constructionmay be resorted to without departing from the principle or sacrificingany of the advantages of the invention.

I claim j I 1. A stamp vending machine comprising a revoluble holderadapted to contain separated parallel strips of stamps and bring thesame successively to a given position, means for intermittently feedinga strip of stamps lengthwise and projecting the stamps one at a timefrom the holder, and means for separating the stamps from the strip anddelivering the same.

2. A stamp vending machine comprising a revoluble holder adapted tocontain separated parallel strips of stamps, means for intermittentlyturning said holder to bring the strips successively to a givenposition, plunger operated means for intermittently feeding a stampstrip lengthwise, and means for separating the stamps one at a time fromthe strip and delivering the same.

3. A stamp vending machine comprising a revoluble holder adapted tocontain separated parallel strips of stamps, means for intermittentlyturning said holder to bring the strips successively to a givenposition, means for intermittently feeding a strip of stamps lengthwiseand projecting the same one at a time beyond the holder, and means forseparating the stamps from the strip and delivering the same.

4. A. stamp vending machine comprising a holder adapted to contain astrip of stamps, a feeding element operating to feed the stamp striplengthwise with a step-bystep movement, and an arm embodying astampreceiver which receives the stamps one at a time from the holder,separates them from the strip and transfers them to the delivery holder.

5. A stamp vending machine comprising a revoluble holder embodying acircular series of guideways for strips of stamps, means forintermittently feeding the strips of stamps lengthwise and projectingthe stamps one at a time beyond the holder and means for separating thestamps from the strip and delivering the same.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

JOHN R. ARMINGTON.

Witnesses:

ROY Frrcn, D. E. Locxn'rr.

